Selection Committee Picks Two for School Board

Rick Marsico is Tapped for 2nd Term Along With Newcomer Linda Ryan

by Joan R. Simon

Update (4/28/08): Linda Ryan has withdrawn as school board candidate and has been replaced by Harriet Barish (see: Harriet Barish Replaces Linda Ryan as School Board Candidate).

(April 10, 2008) The Committee for the Selection of School Board Nominees (known as the Selection Committee) has announced their endorsement of incumbent Rick Marsico and newcomer Linda Ryan for positions on the Mamaroneck School Board. Amy Levere will be stepping down in June after six years on the school board. She has been board president for the past year.

Linda Ryan Known For “Love in a Box” Seeks Office

Ms. Ryan is the mother of two sons at Murray Avenue School. Two years ago she co-founded “Love in a Box,” a program with students from Central, Murray and Mamaroneck Avenue that provided personalized boxes of school supplies to elementary students affected by Hurricane Katrina. (See: "Love in a Box" Reaches School Children in Louisiana.) Last year her group helped children at Murray put together surprise gift boxes for boys and girls whose families receive assistance from the food pantry. (See: "Love in a Box" Reaches Out to Local Children.)

“I am someone who is a product of public education,” Ms. Ryan said, explaining that she and her family moved here just under five years ago “in large part because of the very strong education system” and the “strong sense of community.” She felt that her work with “Love in a Box,” which crossed school lines, gave her a “unique perspective” on the district. She was also spurred on by the last year’s budget problems and wanted to be more engaged in the process. Rather than having an agenda of her own, she said she would first like to “pay close attention to what the community wants” and “listen to my neighbors.”

A Princeton graduate in aerospace engineering and a consultant in process redesign for CCT Group, Inc., she confessed “it’s fair to say I’m a geek.”

Marsico Seeks Second Term

Rick Marsico, a professor at New York Law School, will be seeking his second three-year term. (See: Selection Committee Seeks Two Candidates for School Board.) Mr. Marsico has been the board’s liaison to the building committee and a member of its subcommittee on fields.

Next Step in the Election Process

A Selection Committee endorsement is not required for school board candidates. Anyone interested in running for the school board must file a petition of 55 signatures with the district clerk in the superintendent’s office by 5:00 pm on Monday, April 21. The election of school board trustees will be on Tuesday, May 20, the same day as the budget vote.

Selection Committee Needs New Members

The Selection Committee, which describes itself as an independent, non-partisan and self-funded organization, is elected by the community on May 20, the same day as the budget and trustee vote. The committee consists of 24 members, six from each of the four elementary school districts, serving staggered 3-year terms. Two seats from each area are voted on every year, adding eight new members annually. Candidates must be registered voters. Applications can be found on the Selection Committee website. The deadline is April 18.

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